


The Chrysanthemum Stamp

by heavendoyoung



Series: Tales from the Kingdom of Xuia [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attendant!Taeyong, Class Differences, Crown Prince!Johnny, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Jealousy, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Slow Burn, minor DoJae, warnings and ratings may change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-16 11:14:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29331420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heavendoyoung/pseuds/heavendoyoung
Summary: The people of Xuia may think they know the crown prince well. Most of them watched him grow up from a sheltered toddler, to a scrawny teenager, to a capable man, next in line to throne. But there isn't someone who knows him, his flaws, and his habits quite as well as his attendant of 7 years.or, the Johnyong AU where Prince Johnny has been in love with Taeyong for nearly a decade (and where Taeyong loves him back).
Relationships: Lee Taeyong/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Series: Tales from the Kingdom of Xuia [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2154441
Comments: 5
Kudos: 52





	1. white chrysanthemums mean devoted love

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work of fiction and the characters do not reflect the real life people they were based on
> 
> Hello! This is my first ever chaptered fic... To be honest, I'm very nervous to start this because I don't know how well it will be received and whether I can update consistently for you all :( If there is anything you think I can improve on, please leave a comment, I will really appreciate it! Otherwise, I hope you enjoy reading!

There are many things the people know about Suh Youngho. He is their future king, after all. They know that Youngho prefers to go by Johnny, that he knows how to speak four languages, that he has a 3rd Dan black belt in Judo, and more. They know him as their perfect prince, perfect to be heir to the throne. 

But what most are unaware of, is how terrible Johnny is at waking up in the morning. Of course, Taeyong knows. Taeyong knows him through and through. Having been trained to be Johnny’s personal attendant at the age of 16, and actually working as his attendant since the age of 21, no one knows Johnny better than Lee Taeyong.

Though there is one thing not even Taeyong knows (Johnny thinks he’d be damned if Taeyong ever found out). And that is how completely and utterly in love Johnny is with him.

“Please, Johnny, you have to get up now.” Taeyong pulls the duvet as hard as he can, but Johnny works out at least three times a week, and Taeyong none, so his attempts were unsuccessful.

“Just a few more minutes, Yong.” Johnny grumbles, half asleep.

“That’s what you said half an hour ago.” Taeyong sighs. 

“Thirty minutes is still a few in the grand scheme of things.” Johnny responds, mumbling into his pillow. 

“I can’t believe you’re going to be the future king of our country. God bless Xuia.” Johnny giggles at Taeyong’s dramatics.

Just another day at Fitzgerald Castle.

The crown prince spends most of his time at Fitzgerald Castle, his favourite, located near a medium-sized town away from the capital city, opting only to go back to Hemingway Palace to live with his parents when the holiday seasons roll around.

“Doyoung is gonna get mad if you let his crepes cool before you get to eat them. And you do not want to irritate him this morning.” Taeyong tells him.

Johnny finally sits up. Hair sticking out in all directions, indicating a good night’s sleep. This rather adorable side of the prince is almost never seen by the public. But of course, Taeyong has the privilege of seeing it every morning.

“What did Jaehyun do this time?” Johnny asks after a yawn.

Taeyong chuckles and shrugs. “I dunno. Existed, probably.” 

“Sounds about right.” Johnny mumbles to himself as he hoists himself off of his bed.

“I’ll let you get ready. But please do hurry, your highness.” Taeyong adds the honorific teasingly before heading out of the room.

Johnny finds himself grinning like an idiot after that. _Maybe waking up isn’t too bad if I get to see that face when I do_.

The table is void of food when Johnny steps foot into the dining room. The butler informs him that the food has been sent back into the kitchens because it has gone cold. Johnny gulps. He is most likely going to have his head nagged off by his pastry chef. 

He gently pushes the doors into the kitchens.

The kitchen is vast but sparsely populated. The prince chooses not to bring many staff with him to Fitzgerald Castle, preferring to keep his home life as private as possible. At Fitzgerald’s, he is merely Johnny. Not Suh Youngho, Prince of Atwood, heir apparent to the Xuian throne. 

A tall, large, rectangular table sits in the center of the kitchen. And around it, sits Jaehyun, his imperial guard, gobbling down a banana and caramel crepe with Doyoung staring him down from the opposite side of the table. 

“Ah look who decided to show up,” Jaehyun says, mouth still half stuffed.

Doyoung averts his gaze to Johnny. Johnny’s back hunches under his glare.

“Doyoung gave your breakfast to Jaehyun because it went cold,” his head chef, Kun, announces, “I’ll make you another.” He says with a smile, amused at Doyoung and the prince’s interaction.

“The day Taeyong manages to wake you up before ten o’clock is the day the world ends,” Doyoung states as Johnny takes a seat next to Jaehyun. 

“We should ask Taeyong to give you some sort of _incentive_ to wake up, John.” Jaehyun supplies with a suggestive emphasis on ‘incentive’.

“I doubt it will work.” Johnny replies with a tight-lipped smile. “My bed is simply too comfortable in the morning.”

“Not even if he-”

“Just eat your food, Jae.” Johnny cuts him off before Jaehyun is able to expose his secret crush to the subject’s best friends. “Where is Taeyong, by the way?”

“He’s in the garden,” Kun tells him as he decorates Johnny’s plate of crepes. “He says Lucas told him the flowers have just started to bloom.”

“I always wondered why Tae didn’t choose gardening instead of being Johnny’s gofer.” Doyoung utters, mostly directed at Kun.

“I think you must have some idea why, Doie.” Kun responds, setting the plate down in front of Johnny, earning a light scoff from Doyoung. “And also because he knows he would prick his fingers everyday because he wouldn’t be able to resist touching the roses.”

“Right and then I’d have to be the one to first-aid his fingers everyday. Kinda glad he’s Johnny’s gofer now.”

“Oh, it would kill you to have a heart, Doyoung.” Jaehyun provokes.

“Like you’d know anything about having a heart, Jeong.” Doyoung spits back.

Jaehyun juts his bottom lip out and Johnny and Kun chuckle from the side. 

“Finish your food. You’re not cute like you think you are.” Jaehyun huffs at Doyoung’s words. “Man-child.” Doyoung mutters under his breath, just loud enough for Jaehyun to hear him.

“Stuck-up old man.” Jaehyun retorts quietly.

“Idiot.”

“Asshole.”

“I don’t know why I still bring you both to Fitzgerald every time. Should have left you guys with my parents.” Johnny comments. 

“Oh, you wouldn’t, your highness. You love me too much. Can’t say the same about Doyoung though.” Jaehyun smirks. Doyoung rolls his eyes.

“Any plans for the day, Johnny?” Doyoung refocuses the conversation on the prince.

“Think I’ll go into town today. Not sure though I think Taeyong has got work for me to do.” He shrugs. 

As if on cue, Taeyong opens the door to the kitchen with a handful of tulips of different colours. 

“Oh wow you’re all gathered here.” Taeyong shuts the door behind him.

“Tulips, Tae?” Kun nods towards the bunch of flowers.

“Yep. Tulips are always the first to bloom in spring.” He smiles at the flowers in his hand. “Beautiful, aren’t they?” He asks no one in particular, but was looking primarily at Johnny.

Johnny nods dumbly and Jaehyun lets out a snicker. 

He clears his throat and asks, “What do they mean?”

Taeyong’s eyes almost sparkle at the question and Johnny gives himself a mental pat on the back. “I’m glad you asked, Johnny.”

Taeyong sets the bunch of tulips down on the corner of the table, ignoring the comment on how they will dirty the table from Doyoung and separates them by colour. 

He picks up a white tulip and starts, “White is for purity. My least favourite. Pretty, but it’s kind of a boring flower, if I’m honest.” 

Next is pink. “Pink is for affection and understanding. It’s a good one to give family and friends.” He hands Kun and Doyoung one each. 

“Yellow tulips have a few meanings but I think they are cheerful. They remind me of Jaehyun, actually.” Doyoung scoffs while Jaehyun beams, gratefully accepting the flower.

“Purple…” Taeyong turns to Johnny, “Purple means royalty.” Taeyong wears a shy smile. “For you, your highness.” Johnny suppresses a blush.

“What about the red, Tae?” Doyoung asks, “Who is that for?” Doyoung raises his eyebrows slightly, looking forward to the response. Kun purses his lips to keep himself from grinning.

Taeyong clears his throat. “Red tulips mean deep, eternal love and passion. And they are for… they are for nobody but myself.”

“Whatever you say, Tae.” Kun sing-songs.

Johnny couldn’t help but feel a rush of disappointment and focuses back on his breakfast.

But what could Taeyong have done? Profess his _deep, eternal_ love for his boss in front of their friends? No. That would not do.

“I’m gonna go put these in a vase before they wilt. I left some documents his majesty wanted your opinion on in the study, Johnny. I’ll see you there after you’re done here.” Taeyong gathers the remaining flowers in his arms and takes his leave. 

Johnny’s eyes follow him all the way until he’s out the door. 

Jaehyun snickers, again, and mumbles a quick apology to Johnny. Doyoung rolls his eyes while Kun shakes his head across the table. _Oblivious fools_.

Taeyong is sitting on the scholar chair reading a novel when Johnny enters his study.

The corners of Taeyong’s mouth immediately lift up at the sight of Johnny. He comes to his senses and realises that he was in fact sitting in the prince’s chair. “Oh, sorry,” he closes the book he was reading and stands up but is interrupted.

“No, no. It’s okay. Sit.” Johnny pulls out the chair opposite the scholar’s and sits himself down. “That one is better for your back anyways.”

Taeyong’s smile widens. “Thanks.”

“So, let’s take a look at these documents. I was wondering if we could go to town today, after this. We haven’t been in too long. I'm afraid people would have forgotten how handsome their crown prince is.”

Taeyong scoffs. “I hope they remembered how vain their crown prince is.”

“It’s called confidence and confidence is _sexy_. Isn’t it, Yong?”

Taeyong gulps. 

“Sure.” He mumbles. “And yes, we can go into town later, as long as you finish your homework. And we’ll also have to bring Jaehyun for safety. And maybe some servants if you’re planning to do a lot of shopping.” 

Johnny chuckles. “Does Jaehyun really have to follow me everywhere?”

“ _I_ follow you everywhere, Johnny.”

“Yeah but you’re… _you_.” 

Taeyong quirks an eyebrow.

“You don’t complain about Doyoung every two minutes as if you’re not in love with him.” Taeyong laughs at the response Johnny applauds himself for this save.

“Well you have other guards if you’d like to have a change in scenery. But I know you adore Jaehyun too much to take anyone else. You did choose him to be your head guard when there were other more experienced and well-behaved ones.”

“He does bring me a lot of entertainment everyday. I suppose we’ll have to make do with him then.”

“What are you planning to do in town?” Taeyong re-opens the novel.

“Walk around. Buy some books, maybe? You’ll run out of things to read in here soon.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Johnny. I don’t think anyone could ever run out of things to read in this library. There is stuff so old neither of us would understand the language if we tried to read it.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Johnny shrugs.

“You really should read more. I haven’t seen you voluntarily touch a book since you were 19, probably. And that’s ten years ago.”

“Why read a book when you can watch a play? It’s much more stimulating.”

“With all due respect, I disagree. Books leave so much more to the imagination and it forces you to think.”

“What are you reading, anyways?”

“ _Pride and Prejudice_. Jane Austen. It’s a romance novel about two people who love each other but can’t get over their own prides and prejudices and actually get together, hence the title. Reminds me an awful lot of two of our friends.” Johnny chuckles at that. “It would be great to have a love like Darcy and Elizabeth’s.”

Taeyong lets his shoulder sag as he flips the page. His gaze, dare Johnny say, looks a little sad. 

“Anyways, you should get to work if you want to get to town before nightfall. I’ll go tell Jaehyun that we’ll be leaving for town later.”

“Or… you can stay here with me and tell him we’re leaving later…?” Johnny suggests.

“Sure,” Taeyong smiles, “not like I wanted to leave this chair anyways. It’s really comfortable.” Taeyong says in revelation.

“Yeah, surprisingly so.” Johnny expresses in agreement, “but you know what’s the most comfortable seat?”

“What?”

“My lap.”

Taeyong chokes before bursting in laughter. “I’m not quite sure about it, your highness. Perhaps I’ll have to test it out for myself some time.”

There are some times where Johnny allows himself to indulge in the thought that there is more to their relationship. But he forbids himself from indulging for long because anything more is simply impossible. At the end of the day, he is Taeyong’s boss, and though they may call each other friends, their relationship is professionally based.

Perhaps their friends are not the ones who need to overcome their prejudice.

“Will you guys be back for dinner?” Kun asked before they departed. 

“Uhhh… I”m not sure, Kun. Take it as a no for now. If we come back before dinner I’ll just ask Doyoung to cook something simple.” Johnny answers

“Very well then. Have a safe trip!” Kun waves to them.

“See you later, Kunnie,” Taeyong gives Kun a short peck on the cheek as Johnny watches the interaction with wanting eyes.

Jaehyun nudges him in the abdomen, causing Johnny to flinch and groan uncomfortably.

Jaehyun chuckles lightly. “Let’s go,” he says, we don’t want the shops to close before we get there.

The walk from the castle into the town does not take long. Johnny remembers he used to sneak into town on this very same path at least three or four times a week when he would stay in Fitzgerald’s with his parents over the winters. His parents would never find out, but his attendant-in-training, Taeyong, would always chastise him. 

As Johnny grew up, he would sneak out not for the purpose of exploring the town, or getting a breath of fresh air, or hanging out with the few friends he’s made, but rather to rile Taeyong up because he looks adorable with his eyebrows furrowed, worried words coming out of his mouth faster than his brain can spin.

Oftentimes, to thank Taeyong for his troubles, Johnny would come back to the castle bearing all sorts of gifts. From candies and chocolates, to handmade trinkets, and even little potted plants. Unbeknownst to Johnny, Taeyong has kept every non-perishable item he’s bought him since they were 16 in a wooden box tucked neatly in the closet; it is the one thing Taeyong would never trade even for the world.

Johnny is met by courteous bows and friendly smiles along the way into town center. He’s very well loved and respected by the people of the town, having grown up running around the streets while his bodyguards chased him around, old townswomen still dote on him like he is still the energetic ten year old that would hide behind counters in the markets or play games of tag with other children. 

“Taeil!” Johnny calls out to the man standing behind the cashier in the chocolaterie. The nutty, sweet, roasted aroma of chocolate surrounds them as they enter the shop. 

Taeil, a shorter man with swooped up dark brown hair and donning a pair of spectacles, light up at the sight of the trio.

“Hey, what a nice surprise! Didn’t expect to see you all today.”

“Missed us, Moonie?” Jaehyun asked, cheekily.

“Of course, Jaehyun. I missed you very—” 

“— _We_ missed you because there usually is an influx of customers who come in after they hear that you guys visit,” another man cuts Taeil off as he walks out of the kitchen area, gums on display.

“Yuta! How nice to see you too,” Johnny chuckles at the sight of the red-haired man.

“Nice to see you too, princess.” Yuta throws a playful wink in his direction. “So, what brings you all here today? Escaping Doie’s wrath again?”

“Yes.” Jaehyun answers, a little too fast.

Taeyong chuckles.

“Just felt like taking a walk today,” Johnny replies, “and I’m almost out of my supply of sweets from _Chocolate de Lune_ so I brought everyone here to restock.”

The bell hanging from above the entrance rings, catching everyone’s attention.

A boy no older than twenty looking frazzled stood in the hallway while holding big brown paper bags under his arm. His mouth is hung wide open.

“Y-y-your h-highness,” he stutters out. He wiggles to adjust the bags in his arms before attempting to bow. The produce on the top of the bag falls out onto the floor before anyone could stop him from bowing deeper. “O-oh,” now flustered, the boy hurries to straighten his back, “I’m so sorry,” he mutters.

Jaehyun takes one of the bags from the boy while Taeyong picks up the things that have fallen on the floor.

“Johnny this is Shotaro, our new intern, and Shotaro, this is, um, the prince.” Taeil speaks up.

“Hello Shotaro,” Johnny puts on his best smile in front of the boy, “nice to meet you. You can just call me Johnny like everyone else.” 

Shotaro opens his mouth but nothing comes out. “Uh…”

Taeyong smiles at the boy endearingly.

He remembers the first time he met the crown prince. They were much younger, but he was no less intimidating at first meeting. Taeyong, along with Doyoung and Kun, were sent to work at the palace at fourteen and thirteen years old. Johnny somehow skipped the awkward, self-discovering, tantrum-throwing teen-age phase, straight into being a confident young man. Even at a young age, Johnny was dashing and surrounded himself with an aura of confidence wherever he went. 

This type of character was not one Taeyong and his friends were used to. There is not anyone quite like the crown prince from their background. 

It took them at least half a year for them to be comfortable around Johnny (or in Doyoung’s case, not spitting out comments about how he hates the privileged every other minute).

“Relax,” Yuta walks over to his employee and pats him on the back soothingly, “he’s just Johnny.”

“Right,” Shotaro mumbles. “Um, I’ll go stock up the pantry now. It was nice meeting you, your Johnny. I mean… Johnny, your highness.” He gulps.

“You too, kid,” Johnny’s eyes crinkle up in a smile.

Shotaro scurries off into the back of the shop, Yuta following closely behind to help out.

“So, is there anything you want to buy, John, or are you just going to scare my employee off?” Taeil questions.

“You know I’ll buy whatever you recommend, Taeil.” Johnny says as he walks towards the glass display.

While Taeil entertains Johnny with the fancy truffles and mousse bars, Taeyong gravitates towards the items placed on the shelves.

Baking chocolates, dipping chocolates, Dutch-process cocoa powder, caramels, toffee and more. 

“We should bring some back to bake a chocolate cake.” Taeyong thinks out loud.

“You mean bring some back for Doyoung to bake a cake.” Jaehyun corrects, smirking.

“Hey, I used to work in the kitchens too, you know?”

“There must be a reason why you don’t anymore, Tae.”

“I’d love to see _you_ try to cook and bake.”

“I don’t think Doyoung will let me live to see tomorrow if I touch the kitchen.”

“Sounds about right.” Taeyong chuckles, “how much chocolate do you think we’re gonna bring back this time?”

“Oh Moonie is definitely going to dry up Johnny’s wallet. As he should. Fuck the rich.”

Taeyong scoffs, “says you, Jae. God damn aristocrats.”

Jaehyun ducks his head down, “I acknowledge that and I’m planning to donate most of what I inherit in the future. I don’t think anybody needs more than one house.” He says, matter-of-fact-ly.

“I better get one of those houses. I’ve been putting up with you and Doyoung’s bullshit for way too long for me not to be compensated.”

“He always starts it,” Jaehyun gasps in offence.

“Yeah, yeah.” Taeyong crosses his arms, “do you think we should go check on him, or just let Taeil do his thing?”

“I think we should just let it happen. Let’s be grateful Yuta’s working in the back today. Remember last time Yuta worked here in the front and made Johnny buyout the entire shop?”

“How could I forget? We had to go around giving out chocolates to strangers until ten o’clock because he realised there was no way we could finish it before it all becomes moldy.”

“Good times.”

Half an hour later, Johnny was finally finished picking out different boxes of truffles, and Taeyong had grabbed a few bars of baking chocolate and a jar full of Dutch-process cocoa.

They exit Chocolate de Lune and head down the street, window shopping at other shops.

A particular antique shop catches Johnny’s eye. It wasn’t yet open the last time they visited town, which was not long ago. Old music boxes, vases, and clocks are displayed in the display case and more goods are cluttered in the back of the shop. 

Because of the clutter, the floorspace of the shop was limited. 

“We’ll stay out here, then,” Taeyong says. The three of them definitely could not have fit into the shop together.

“Okay, I’ll make it quick, then.” Johnny smiles at him warmly before heading inside. 

“Planning to visit the orphanage today?” Jaehyun asks Taeyong as they settle into small talk outside the shop.

“Hmm, probably not. I’ll go with Kun and Doyoung some other time. I still don’t think they really know how to talk to us after they sent us away. Things are gonna get awkward and I definitely don’t want to deal with that alone.”

“Well, they did send you guys to work for the royal family when you were just teenagers. I’d imagine they’d feel a little bad about that.”

He still remembers the day when the matron brought him, Kun, and Doyoung in, the three of them being the oldest in the orphanage, and told them that they could no longer afford to feed and house them. He remembers feeling like all that was left of his world was crumbling down, after being evicted from the closest place he could have called home since he was seven years old.

The next few days passed by like a blur, and the next thing he knows, the three of them were working in the kitchens as helpers, measuring out ingredients, bringing out utensils, and occasionally washing dishes. The kitchen staff all treated them nicely, all having taken pity on them to different extents, and would treat the boys to delicacies they could have never dreamed of having back in the orphanage.

”None of us saw it at the time but it might as well be the best thing to have ever happened to the three of us, working at the castle.” Taeyong looks down on his feet, the corners of his mouth pulling upwards slightly, “I don’t think we ever imagined living this comfortably in our adulthoods. I know that many of the kids still there won’t. So I guess we never held it against them because, really, they gave us a way out.” Taeyong looks up to meet Jaehyun’s curious gaze with a soft smile.

“I still can’t believe you had to go through that.”

“Well, it is what it is. And it’s all in the past anyways.”

“Right,” Jaehyun mumbles, “oh yeah, have you heard of the rumours from the palace?”

Taeyong quirks an eyebrow.

“People in the city are saying that the King and Queen are trying to find Johnny a _companion_.”

“A companion?”

“A wife, husband, whatever you wanna call it.”

“Oh.” Taeyong says meekly. “No, I haven’t. Good for him if they are.”

“Taeyong, you don’t have to pretend that—”

“I don’t know what you’re insinuating, Jae. What’s good for us is what’s good for this country. And what’s good for this country is for the crown prince to find someone, don’t you think?”

Jaehyun sighs, not knowing how to refute that. “Sure,” he mutters in defeat.

They fall into a silence, turning their attention to the passing pedestrians.

Inside the shop, Johnny happily chats away with the store owner, an older woman that reminds Johnny of his maternal grandmother. Johnny sits at her desk listening to her with glimmer in his eyes as she enthusiastically introduces her favourite pieces around the shop.

“What’s this?” Johnny points to a small wooden chest buried behind little mannequins and dolls on the shelf.

“Ah, they’re just old wax seals. They used to belong to my grandmother but she never used them. Illiterate, she was, but my grandfather was unaware so he bought this set in an attempt to court her when she couldn’t read nor write letters,” she chuckles to herself.

“Can I take a look at them?”

She fishes it out from behind the shelf and places it in front of him.

Johnny opens the chest nimbly to see a set of twelve wax sealing stamps lined up perfectly, as if untouched.

“Go ahead,” she urges him on.

He picks up one of them to reveal a rose carved into the metal at the bottom.

“Seals of flowers, I believe they are,” she comments, “my grandmother loved gardening very much.”

“This is perfect,” Johnny mumbles lowly. “Can I purchase this?” He asks.

“Well of course. Why? Is there someone you’d like to court as well?”

Johnny stares at her for a moment, not knowing how to respond.

She chuckles, “I sure am curious as to who’s caught the eye of our future king.”

Johnny ducks his head down, “ah, I wasn’t sure if you were aware of who I am.”

“Of course I am, my boy. I’ve been alive for long. Your father’s reign is the third I’ve lived through. Anyways, let me pack that up for you, dear.” She smiles warmly at him.

Johnny sneaks a glance out the window just to catch the sight of Taeyong and Jaehyun now curiously studying the objects in front of the window. Taeyong meets Johnny’s eyes for a moment and a small smile creeps up onto his face. 

_It’s him_ , he wants to tell the store owner, _he’s the one who’s caught my eye_.

They head back to the castle after a long evening. On the way home, they each picked up some food to eat from the market to avoid troubling the kitchen staff this late at night. The market, as usual, was bustling with customers buying groceries for the next day or getting their dessert after dinner. There isn’t something more they’ll miss when Johnny eventually has to move back to Hemingway Palace when he becomes King.

They sneak in from the backdoor to avoid hearing the mouthful that the housekeeper, whose room is near the main entrance, is bound to give them for staying out so late if he hears the doors open.

Jaehyun and Taeyong drop the bags of goods that Johnny purchased earlier onto the sofas in Johnny’s chambers.

“Good night,” Jaehyun announces, “I’m fucking drained.” He yawns.

Johnny and Taeyong chuckle. “See you in the morning, Jae,” Taeyong says to him.

Jaehyun gives them a weak wave and treads out the room.

“Well, that was fun,” Taeyong says. “We really need to get out more.”

“Yeah, sorry for trapping you guys here all the time.” 

Taeyong shrugs, “you pay well,” he giggles.

A grin blooms on Johnny’s face, “anything to get you to stay.”

Taeyong purses his lips to stop himself from smiling too wide.

“Speaking of…” Johnny continues, “I got you something from the antique store.“

“I’ve told you before you should stop getting me gifts, Johnny.” Taeyong crosses his arms in front and huffs.

“But I want to, Yong.” The prince answers as he ruffles through the bags of shopping before pulling out the wooden chest.

“Come,” he says, gesturing for Taeyong to follow him into the study.

“What is it?” Taeyong asks in anticipation.

“You’ll see.” Johnny places the box down and takes a seat in his chair, prompting Taeyong to do the same.

Once settled down, Taeyong takes his time to observe the outside of the chest, running his fingers along each dent and crevice before flicking the metal latch upwards to unlock it.

He pushes the top open to reveal nine perfectly aligned stamps with two wax melting spoons on the side.

Amused, the corners of Taeyong’s mouth lift up, “wax seals?”

“Not just any wax seals.” Johnny responds softly.

Taeyong takes one of the stamps out of the chest and lifts the bottom up to his face.

For a split second, Johnny swears he sees sparkles in Taeyong’s eyes.

“Flower wax seals.” Taeyong states, eyes crinkling.

“Do you like them?”

“Oh, I _love_ them, Johnny.” Taeyong takes his eyes off of the stamp to look at Johnny. Johnny who is dripping in adoration as he stares at his attendant.

Taeyong puts the stamp he’s holding up on the table and clasps his hands excitedly. “I’m gonna try them,” he announces before standing up to retrieve wax pellets and a sheet of paper from the drawer nearby.

Johnny fiddles with the stamp as he continues to focus his gaze on Taeyong. “What flower is this?” he asks as Taeyong sits back down on the chair in front of him.

“A chrysanthemum.” Taeyong answers with ease. “Can I borrow your pen?”

Johnny happily obliges. He leans forward to read what Taeyong is about to write. 

_**From Taeyongie to His Royal Highness.**_ , the message wrote. 

Satisfied and feeling giddy, Johnny sits back properly in his chair.

Taeyong takes this opportunity to add a small heart in the corner of the paper.

Carefully, Taeyong folds the paper in on itself and melts a couple of pearly white wax pellets on the wax spoon using a candle.

Johnny pushes the stamp back next to Taeyong, who takes it to finally seal the letter. 

A neatly encrusted seal binds the two ends of the sheet together. 

“For you.” Taeyong hands Johnny the sheet with a shy smile. 

Johnny’s eyes turn into crescents upon receiving this impromptu letter. “What do white chrysanthemums mean?”

Heat rises to Taeyong’s cheeks. He can only hope Johnny does not notice.

“Loyalty and devotion.” he mumbles out. “You know, as an employee and such.”

“Oh.” Johnny pauses to admire Taeyong’s work before continuing. “Thank you, Yong.” He smiles earnestly at the man in front of him.

Taeyong meets his eyes and matches his expression. 

Their moment ended abruptly as loud knocks travelled from the main entrance to the crown prince’s room.

Johnny furrows his eyebrow. _Who could it be?_

Taeyong shrugs his shoulders. _No idea._

They walk back out of the study and open the banging door to reveal an annoyed-looking Doyoung.

“Jeez, Doyoung, you’re gonna break the door.” Johnny chuckles.

“Johnny,” Doyoung ignores his comment, “your parents are here. They’re here and they’re bringing in suitors for you tomorrow.”


	2. sleepless nights and busy mornings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> unbeta-ed... sorry for any mistakes in advance...

“Here?” Johnny repeats loudly. “In the castle?”

“Yeah. In the kitchen. They were waiting for you to come back.”

“How did you know we were back?”

“Jaehyun barged into the kitchen to find a snack to eat.”

“Shit.” he cusses, “they came all the way here to set me up?”

Johnny does not miss the glance Doyoung sent Taeyong’s way but Taeyong wears a blank expression, staring at Doyoung, mouth slightly agape. 

“Apparently the royal advisors are pushing for you to get married before you turn thirty; says it will bring prosperity and peace or some bullshit like that.” Doyoung explains. “Kun and I have been holding them off for three hours now, and as much as we love the King and Queen, there are only so many topics of conversation we can entertain them with before they start asking questions with answers you may not want them to know about.”

“How much have you told them?”

“Only as far as you and Jaehyun pouring soap water onto your silk curtains in the back lawn to race down the slope.”

“Oh no.”

“Yeah,” Doyoung lowers the corners of his mouth awkwardly, “you better get going.”

“You’re not coming?”

“No. Jaehyun’s gonna beg me to make him pudding and I can’t say no to him in front of your parents.”

“Not like you ever say no to him when he asks anyways,” Taeyong finally chimes in.

Doyoung throws him a nasty glare, to which Taeyong responds with a forced smile.

“Anyways, Tae and I are gonna call it a night,” Doyoung reaches out for Taeyong to hold his hand, “it’s getting late. Tell your parents to call it a night soon as well.”

Johnny nods as he sees Doyoung and Taeyong away. 

Johnny didn’t know what to expect when he walked into the kitchen. It certainly was not Kun and Jaehyun animatedly telling the King and Queen about last month when Johnny put on his skis and tried to ski down the slope in the back lawn, only to trip on his own two legs and tumble all the way down to where Lucas was gardening. Yeah, Johnny spends a lot of time in the back lawn. 

“Oh, my dear boy,” the Queen, regal as she is, clad in a fancy nightgown, stands up immediately upon seeing her only child, “come here. We’ve all missed you plenty in the palace.”

“Mom,” he beams at her before crashing into her arms. No matter how old he gets, he will always be a momma’s boy.

“How are you doing, dear? We have so much to talk about.” She pulls her son by the arm to the stool next to hers at the large table in the center of the kitchen. “Kun, darling, we’ve been keeping you here long enough now,” she addresses the pastry chef, “thank you for keeping us company.” She gives him a warm smile.

Kun responds with one in return, “my pleasure, your majesty,” he says before making his merry way out of the kitchen.

“Are you and dad really here to find me a partner?” Johnny asks. He sees Jaehyun’s eyes widen in the corner of his vision.

His mother sighs, “our advisors have been pushing you to find someone. And I see where they’re coming from, son, stability in your life means the stability of our country.”

“And the people do love a good love story so it will be good for our popularity as well.” The King adds on.

“I know this seems unfair but you have to remember that you are the future monarch of our country and you owe responsibility to our people.”

“I understand. But can’t this happen at my own pace?” Johnny tries, “wouldn’t it be a better love story anyways?”

His mother gives him a knowing look. “Have you made any progress towards it in the past six years?”

Johnny doesn’t say anything.

“Jaehyun, anything at all? _Anyone_?” The Queen asks.

Johnny gives Jaehyun a pleading look as if saying _please-don’t-tell-them-about-my-crush-on-Taeyong_. 

“No,” he answers, “nothing.”

“Exactly. The advisors have been pushing for this since you turned twenty five, it’s a miracle we’ve been able to hold them off until now.” The Queen states. 

Johnny nods weakly. He knows his parents are right. He knows that until he gets that stability in life, no one will think he is ready to be king, no matter how capable he is. He knows he’s been living as if he can pine for Taeyong forever. But the knowledge of this does not make this situation any less unfortunate.

She ruffles his hair like she used to do, after she told him his daily bedtime story.

“It’s getting late now, dear,” she switches off her stern monarch voice and switches on her motherly one, “I’m going to go to bed. I’m sorry it has to be this way. They’ll be arriving at Fitzgerald starting tomorrow. Try to get some sleep, yeah?”

Johnny nods again.

The King gives his wife a gentle kiss on her hand. “You go ahead first. I think I’ll have a chat with the boys.”

She gives him a loving smile in return, “Sure. Don’t be up too late — I’ll be waiting for you,” the smile she wears is the same one she’s given him for the past thirty years.

Johnny watches the exchange with an ugly feeling brewing at the bottom of his stomach. His parents’ fairytale-esque love story has always been talked about; the people praised, admired, and envied a love like theirs. 

His father, the son of a lesser-known baron, met the crown princess in a masquerade ball. He saw her from across the room when an older duke was trying to make a move on her. Sensing that she was clearly uncomfortable, he asked her for a dance. Despite the duke’s protests, the baron’s son was not afraid to speak up and pulled her away from him anyways. She thanked him after a dance and they did not meet until the next ball. 

Now, with the masks off, he could see all of her beauty. And wow, he was stunned. Over and over again, the princess would be put in uncomfortable situations, and over and over again, he would be there to pull her away. The fourth time this happens, they agree on an arrangement, for the princess to tell unwanted suitors that the baron’s son was courting her.

Fake courting turns into real courting. They would run away from balls to dance outside, or just to go to the study to play a game of chess together (she almost always let him win), or run into the kitchen to make something together. The late King and Queen catches wind of this courtship not long after. Seeing how happy he made her, they approved of this relationship, and the rest is history.

The King watches his wife gently shut the kitchen door. He turns to his son and offers him a small smile.

“You understand why your mother has to do this, right?” He asks.

Johnny nods, “I guess,” he mumbles. He’s been training to become a monarch ever since he was born. Of course he would understand the responsibilities. He just wishes it did not have to happen like this.

“This country is her responsibility, and she has to make sure you will have someone to rule by your side.”

“I know that, father. I just didn’t expect this to happen so soon. I’m only twenty eight and mother is perfectly healthy.”

“Yeah, well your mother is the first female monarch in the past ninety years and the old sexist advisors don’t believe that your mother should be in power for long. Unfortunately if we don’t listen to their advice we risk a rebellion.”

Johnny sighs.

“Uh,” Jaehyun catches the attention of the royals, “theoretically, if Johnny can’t find a connection with anyone sent here, does he still have to marry them?”

“I’m afraid they’ll at least have to be in an official courtship to satisfy the advisors.” The King answers.

“So…” Jaehyun looks at Johnny, “is it possible for him to choose someone _not_ chosen by the Queen and her advisors?”

“If Johnny finds someone else, then they’ll have to assess the candidate to make sure he’s not wasting his time. But, at the end of the day, the approval only needs to come from the Queen. And while she cares about the future of this country, she also cares about the happiness of her son,” The King places a hand on his son’s shoulder, “which means, if you could just tell her about Taeyong, she wouldn’t have to fuss with all of this.”

“W-what?” Johnny stutters out. “How did you…”

“Did you really think I wouldn’t find out about your love for him? You’ve been wearing heart-eyes for that boy for the past decade, Youngho. Your mother’s just bad at picking up signals.”

Jaehyun snickers.

“What should I do, then?” Johnny buries his face into his own hands  
“What should you do?” his father repeats hysterically, “you court him. Isn’t the answer obvious? You’re the crown prince of Xuia, Youngho, not a single person in this nation will say no to a courtship with you.”

“That’s what I’ve been telling him for the longest time,” Jaehyun huffs in annoyance.

“You don’t know that,” he mumbles, “He’s different… I’m so scared of fucking up what we have.”

His father chuckles at the expletive.

“Sometimes, that leap of faith will determine whether you live with eternal happiness or eternal regret.” He pats his son on the back. “Anyways, don’t stress about this too much tonight. Get a good night’s sleep first.”

He stands up from the chair and makes his way towards the door. “Good night, boys. I can promise you that the leap is worth taking.”

Johnny lets out a loud groan when he hears the door close. 

“What am I gonna do?”

“Confess to Taeyong, like how I’ve been telling you to do since we were nineteen.”

“A solution that does not involve confessing to Taeyong?”

“Accept your fate and marry someone you don’t love.”

“Shit.”

Kun chuckles to himself when he walks into his room. There lies Doyoung and Taeyong on his bed, both staring at the ceiling, chatting gently amongst themselves.

The click of the door closing causes both men to look at him. Taeyong scoots over automatically to make space for him. He joins his best friend on the double bed that is definitely not made for three people.

“So… he’s getting pimped out, huh?” Taeyong asks once Kun is settled.

“Yeah. Yeah, they’re bringing people in tomorrow.”

“Good for him,” Taeyong says softly, “he deserves to be paraded with suitors.” A small smile arises on his face as he thinks about how happy someone could make Johnny.

“Kinda sucks though, no?” Doyoung says on the other side of Taeyong. “He’s getting married within two years and you never got the chance to-”

“Hey.” Taeyong cuts him off.

“I’m just saying,” Doyoung pauses briefly, “if we were born into a different family, you might be one they’re bringing in tomorrow. It’s just a shame, Tae.”

“Yeah, but then again which one of us would have thought we’d ever be living in a castle when we were dropped off at the orphanage?”

“Not me,” Kun mumbles.

“Exactly. Let’s just be grateful that we’re comfortable.” Taeyong purses his lips.

“Still, It doesn’t mean we can’t still hope for more.” Kun adds on.

“I think we need a reality check,” Taeyong chuckles. Doyoung and Kun could feel the mattress move from the way Taeyong’s chest huffed. A silence follows.

Taeyong gulps down the saliva building up and blinks away his stinging eyes. “He’s the crown prince; we are his servants. Nothing was ever supposed to happen. ‘Been living in this delusion for too long, now.”

Doyoung grabs one of Taeyong’s hands, who was unconsciously fiddling with his fingers, and latches onto the elder’s arm, cuddling into his side. Kun catches on and cuddles into Taeyong’s other side. 

“Tae, you know I was hoping someday I could tell people my brother is a prince?” Kun says softly against Taeyong’s shoulder.

“Me too. I was hoping we could be made barons or some shit. Who the hell knows how the gentry works anyways?” Doyoung’s muffled annoyance made the other two chuckle.

“Well, for one, I thought we all agreed that the gentry is stupid and aristocrats are also stupid,” Taeyong says with a slight lilt in his voice, “and two, we’re not related, Kunnie.”

“Hell, we might as well be,” Kun says.

“Kun’s right. We’re family, aren’t we? We’re all the family that we have. So yeah, brothers.”

Taeyong feels the warmth in his heart and grins, “Brothers? I can remember more than one instance where Doyoung has called me mom or dad.”

Kun lets out a roar of laughter while Doyoung slaps him from the other side to calm him down.

“It’s okay,” Kun says in between laughs, “we all know Doyoung has mommy and daddy issues.”

“ _Okay_ , very funny,” Doyoung sulks.

“Anyways, wanna trash Johnny’s future wedding?” Kun suggests.

Taeyong brings his palms up to cover his eyes. “No,” he whines.

“Oh, I’m in if you are, Kunnie. I can think of a thousand different ways…” Doyoung’s eyes gleam in mischief.

The three best friends — no, _brothers_ — talk and talk for the rest of the night, just like how they used to, crammed into one bed at the orphanage, dreaming about what their futures hold.

Taeyong was the last to fall asleep. He always was; always looking after the two younger. He gently detaches himself from the two sleeping figures and covers them with the duvet. After tucking them in, he turns off all of the lights and blows out the remaining candles and steps out of the room. None of them would have gotten a good night’s sleep if they were all sharing that one bed.

The hallways of the castle are eerily silent at night, especially with all the lights switched off, only leaving some of the candles lit.

Taeyong sees a dark figure walking at the end of the hallway, he squints to focus better but he still couldn’t make out who it is.

Tentatively, he walks towards the figure, only for the figure to approach him more rapidly.

Taeyong stops in his tracks.

“Boo,” the figure hisses once he was close enough.

Taeyong immediately deflates seeing it was the crown prince all along.

“Fuck, you scared me,” he curses.

Johnny laughs. “What are you doing out here so late?”

“I was just going back to my room,” Taeyong answers, “I could ask the same about you.”

Johnny shrugs. “Can’t sleep. I’m pissing myself just thinking about tomorrow.”

“Is it the excitement… or?”

Johnny shakes his head. “No, I’m not at all excited. I’m just nervous.”

He sighs. “I really hoped that I could marry someone I loved. Someone I found for myself.”

Taeyong smiles sadly. “Who knows, you might end up loving one of them.”

Johnny’s lip tightens. “I don’t know about that, Yong, I don’t. Anyways,” he shakes his head to clear his thoughts, “you should head back now, it’s getting late.”

“You too,” Taeyong nags, “don’t stay out too late. You have to look presentable tomorrow.”

“Yes sir,” Johnny dips his head down mimicking a bow. “Good night, Yongie.”

“Good night, Johnny.” He says, still smiling sadly, before turning away to return to his room.

Taeyong draws Johnny’s curtains open at 9 in the morning. 

“Rise and shine, your highness.” Taeyong calls out.

For the first time ever, Johnny was not reluctant to wake up, because he couldn’t get any good sleep all night. He sits up straight in his bed.

“Had a good sleep?” Taeyong asks after seeing the bags under Johnny’s eyes.

He shakes his head, “No, not at all. You?”

“Eh,” Taeyong shrugs his shoulders, “I’ve had better sleeps. But this isn’t about me, I’ve been told to ‘clean you up’ before you come meet the guests.”

“Oh. They’ve arrived?” Johnny asks while rubbing his eyes tirelessly.

“Some of them, yeah.”

“Met them yet? How were they?”

“Polite, well-mannered. I think that’s a good sign.”

Johnny chuckles, “polite is good, though I do hope some of them have some _personality_.”

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure one of the girls thought that wearing only yellow dresses is a personality trait, but I digress.”

“Good god.”

“The others seem nice enough, though. So we should get you ready.” Taeyong walks over to the bed and offers a hand to pull Johnny off of it and onto his feet.

Johnny accepts and allows himself to be pulled up by Taeyong (with great difficulty).

“Go take a bath, I’ve had some people draw one for you. I’ll have your outfits ready out here once you’re done.”

“Can I stay in the bath forever?” Johnny says more like a statement than a question.

“No, you can not. I’ll be back to check on you, okay?”

Johnny nods reluctantly and trudges into the bathroom.

He tries not to take his time in the bath. The water woke him up and now he’s sitting in the tub, processing everything that’s happened in the last twelve hours. The reality that he’s about to be courted by a dozen different people still feels so unreal. But he guesses this is the duties of a crown prince.

Once he deems himself clean enough, he steps out of the water, wraps a towel around his waist, and walks out of the bathroom.

Taeyong is still in his bedroom, laying down different outfits for him to try on. Suits and shirts of different colours cover his bed. He too, is trying to accept the reality that the crown prince will need to choose someone to spend the rest of his life with in the next few months.

Someone who is not him. 

Lost in thought, he doesn’t notice Johnny who is now running his fingers along the different materials.

“Your highness,” Taeyong nods his head to avoid Johnny’s gaze. No matter how many times he has seen Johnny without a shirt on, he still can not hold eye contact with him for more than two seconds when he is undressed without his entire face turning red.

“Gonna hear a lot of that in the coming days, aren’t I?” Johnny says, referring to the honorific.

“Yeah, I’ve been given orders by your mother’s advisors to strictly refer to you as that.” Taeyong busies himself with straightening out the clothes.

“Please don’t tell me you’re going to do that.” 

Taeyong shrugs his shoulders. “I kinda have to. Not allowed to _embarrass_ you in front of guests. Or I’ll get fired.”

“I think that’s the last thing I’d want.” Johnny states simply.

Taeyong finds himself smiling at the comment.

“Anyways, you can pick one of these outfits, and I’ll meet you in the dining room when you’re done.” Taeyong looks him in the eye briefly before directing his focus onto the clothes, trying his hardest not to stare at the water running down the prince’s bare chest.

“I guess that also means no more breakfast in the kitchen.”

“I’m afraid not.” Taeyong gathers all the clothes hangers and makes his way to the doors.

“Hey Yong?” Johnny calls out to his attendant before he exits, “which one do you think I should choose?”

“Wear the blue suit. I think blue suits you very well.” 

They’re far enough away from each other that they don’t see the pink that dusts each other’s cheeks.

“Okay. I will.” Johnny grins.

“See you later,” Taeyong says, “your highness,” he adds before he forgets.

Johnny chuckles and shakes his head. This is going to be a tiring few months.

The crown prince finally appears in the dining room, just before the clock strikes 10, in a blue suit as promised. His mother, father, and a few unfamiliar faces sit around the long table, with Taeyong and the other attendants standing near the door, all awaiting his arrival.

As soon as he walked in, he was announced.

“Crown Prince of Xuia, Suh Youngho.”

All eyes were on him. Out of instinct, he looks at Taeyong for support.

Taeyong only furrows his eyebrows and nods his head towards the crowd, trying to redirect his focus.

“Lovely to have you all here,” Johnny gives them what he calls his “best customer service” smile, one that he’s trained himself to do since his youth, “I hope breakfast was to your tastes. I look forward to making acquaintance with you all.“

The suitors all stand up and bow or curtsy to him, before he makes his way to a seat across his father.

“Did you sleep well?” the Queen asks as soon as he is settled down. A servant places a plate and a glass of orange juice, his favourite, in front of him.

Johnny scrunches his face up, “honestly, not really. Did you?”

“I prefer my bed in Hemingway.” His mother responds.

“She wouldn’t stop tossing and turning. Even if I wanted to sleep I couldn’t,” the King comments, leading to the three of them sharing a chuckle.

Johnny then remembers he has guests. “I hope you all had a good night’s rest,” he says, “not too nervous, I hope?”

They all respond with shy smiles and mumbles of ‘yes’s.

“Isabelle, why don’t you tell us more about your fellowship with Sir Waterhouse? He truly is a magnificent painter.” The Queen initiates the conversation. 

“Oh of course,” her eyes light up, “I was lucky to have met him through a family friend…”

Taeyong watches the conversation with an ugly feeling in his stomach. And it wasn’t just from the fact that he hasn’t eaten breakfast yet, busy with running around the castle making sure everyone is accommodated all morning.

Speaking of not having eaten breakfast yet, his stomach grumbles in the most inconvenient time, right as Isabelle talks about how Waterhouse painted the Lady of Shalott.

Thankfully the grumble was not loud enough to place all the attention on him. The other attendants all give him a sympathetic look, while Johnny immediately looks up to check on him.

Taeyong gives him a reassuring smile and Johnny very reluctantly tears his eyes off Taeyong and tunes back into whatever Isabelle has to say about this painting.

“Oh, that’s wonderful,” the Queen says after Isabelle’s done, “what do you think, Johnny?”

“Um, yeah, that’s super cool. I was never really into the fine arts myself, but Sir Waterhouse sounds like a wonderful man.” He responds. Isabelle smiles fondly at him. 

“Speaking of wonderful things,” he continues, seeing as no one has anything to add, “have any of you tried the Brioche bun with butter, today? It is simply delectable.”

The others around the table hum in agreement, even though there is nothing special about today’s bread. Johnny almost finds this comical. 

“In fact, Taeyong?” He calls out to his attendant.

“Yes, your highness?”

“Could you go ask the kitchen staff what they did differently today, and if they could do this everytime they make Brioche buns from now on? I have a feeling there is something different today.” Johnny once again puts on his fake smile.

“Of course, your highness.” Taeyong makes a mental note to thank him later. He bows to the crowd and removes himself from the dining room.

“Right, paintings…” Johnny starts again.

Taeyong immediately lets out a breath of air as soon as he reaches the kitchen. The kitchen was busier than usual, members of staff came along with the King and Queen to the castle, to cater for the increased number of guests. The table at the center had trays of prepared ingredients and the finest of glassware and silverware laid out. Taeyong has never seen the kitchen at Fitzgerald Castle look like this before.

“Morning, Tae,” Kun says from the back. “Busy morning?”

“Morning everyone. Yeah. I’m fucking starving.” He makes his way to the table next to where Jaehyun was seated.

Doyoung chuckles and plops a plate of his favourite buttermilk pancakes in front of him, garnished with all types of berries.

“Oh, I love you,” he tells Doyoung.

“I love you too, now eat up.”

“How were your mornings?” Taeyong asks after he gulps down the first bite.

“Not too bad,” Doyoung says, “busier than usual but nothing we can’t handle. Plus, we have helping hands from Hemingway so it’s alright.”

Kun joins them in the center, “yeah, just proofed some dough. Life isn’t so bad.”

Taeyong chuckles, “good for you guys. I haven’t stopped running around since I woke up.”

“I should have taken a holiday,” Jaehyun adds from the side.

Doyoung scoffs. “As if you actually had to do much this morning. At least they don’t look at you like you’re the scum of the earth.”

“I don’t know how many more journeys to the castle I can pretend to care about before I quit this job.” Jaehyun mumbles with a sigh. Doyoung rolls his eyes.

“How did you manage to escape the dining room?” Kun questions.

“Johnny gave me an excuse to leave,” He stuffs his mouth with another bite of pancakes, “or at least I think he did. I don’t think he’s the type to care about what went into today’s Brioche buns.”

“Brioche buns?” Doyoung raises his eyebrows.

“Yeah, told me to go ask the chefs what was in the buns today that made them better than any other day.”

“Nothing, it’s the same recipe,” Kun answers.

“I still need to give an excuse.” Taeyong says before chomping down on another bite.

“Extra yeast?” Jaehyun suggests.

“Hm, that could work. I don’t expect any of them to know anything about baking.” Doyoung states.

Taeyong nods.

“We should go work on lunch,” Kun says to Doyoung. “We have to start rolling out the pasta.”

“You don’t need my help to roll out pasta.”

“Not usually, but we’re serving a lot of people today.”

Doyoung groans. There’s a reason he chose to become a pastry chef.

“Yeah, don’t be an asshole, Doyoung.” Jaehyun remarks.

“Suck a dick, Jeong.” Doyoung says before promptly flipping him off.

Jaehyun chuckles. 

“Wait shit, I have to go too.” Jaehyun comes to the sudden realisation.

“Another one coming in?”

“Yeah, in a few.”

“Can you get me a glass of water before you go, please?” Taeyong asks him.

“Sure thing.”

Jaehyun places a glass of water next to Taeyong before heading for the door. “Bye everyone,” he announces to the room, “except for Doyoung.”

Doyoung lets out an annoyed groan.

Taeyong laughs.

Halfway through the meal, he gives up on getting the food down fast. He decided that pancakes were made to be enjoyed, not shoved down one’s throat. Besides, he knows that Johnny would rather him have a nice breakfast than almost cause physical harm to himself.

Once he’s done, he puts the plate in the bucket, ready for washing. He thanks the kitchen staff and heads back into the dining room.

By now, only the King and Queen are left in the dining room. 

“Your majesties,” he bows to them.

“Hello, Taeyong.” The King greets, “so?”

“Oh, right. The bread. Um, they said extra yeast.”

“Actually?” The King is amused.

“No,” he decides to drop the act, “nothing was different today.”

The Queen gives him a warm smile regardless.

“Johnny is giving them a tour in the gardens.”

“I’ll be right there, your majesty” Taeyong smiles gratefully. 

“Oh, and don’t overwork yourself, okay?” The Queen adds.

Taeyong’s smile widens. “Yes, your majesty. Thank you.”

“You’re dismissed,” she says gently.

Taeyong bows again and exits, making his way down to his favourite place in the castle.

_Here we go again._

“And here we plant the roses, red, pink, white, amongst other colours,” Lucas introduces his beloved rose bushes to the guests, “they should bloom in about two weeks or so. If you’d like, you’re always welcome to take a flower or two with you when they bloom, possibly to give it to his highness over here.” Lucas gives the crowd a cheeky smile while Johnny flushes.

Little does his entourage know, he really only likes to receive flowers from one person.

Lucas continues to skip through the garden, tension as high as always. His positive energy seems to have influenced everyone with him, nervousness obviously bubbling away from everyone’s body by the minute.

When he notices Taeyong’s presence, he waves to him with a wide grin, as usual. Taeyong returns the smile, heart warming at the sight of the younger’s antics.

“Taeyong, right?” a man slides up next to him.

Maybe Taeyong will make a friend out of this situation.

“Yes, sir.” He answers.

“Can you go get me an umbrella? I’m afraid the sun is not good for my skin.”

Nevermind.

Taeyong nods his head. “Right, of course. Anything else?”

“Can I get an umbrella too?”

“A glass of water, please?”

“Someone to fan me.”

A chorus of voices chime in.

Taeyong mentally makes a note of everything that was asked of him. Usually, he prides himself for having a good memory, but usually he also only serves one very low-maintenance prince. He likes to think he enjoys his job, but right now, he really wishes that everyone would give him some space to breathe.

“Of course,” he tells everyone, “I’ll be right back,” and plasters on the best smile he could muster. 

He doesn’t catch the annoyance on Johnny’s face. One, for not listening attentively to Lucas, and two, for bossing _his_ attendant around.

Taeyong runs back to the building. He gathers some servants on the way to the kitchen and briefs them about their guests’ needs. A few of them sigh and he could only smile empathetically. Glasses of water, lemonade, umbrellas, and fans get sent off. Taeyong handles the last request of a walking cane himself before he goes back outside.

The horde has moved next to the fountains. After handing the cane to the one who requested it, his attention was caught by someone complaining softly that the servant was not fanning them right. Taeyong holds down the urge to roll his eyes and walks towards this duo.

“I got it,” he says softly to the servant, “thank you for helping out.”

He takes the fan and dismisses the servant.

“Much better,” he hears the suitor say.

Johnny catches a glimpse of this but couldn’t bring himself to say anything. He continues with the tour.

Johnny has never been more ready to sleep. He did not expect to have to make small talk with so many people, to memorise all their names so that his guests aren’t offended, actively try to get to know every single person.

While Johnny was mentally tired, Taeyong was physically drained. Taeyong hasn’t felt this much pain in his shoulder since the first week he was trained to be an attendant. From carrying trays to helping people up the stairs to fanning someone for an hour straight, he felt like his arm was about to fall off. 

When Taeyong hears a knock on his door while he’s already lying in bed, he doesn’t bother to go up to greet whoever was at the door. It didn’t matter if it was the King or the Queen, he was not getting up.

“Come in!” he shouts out.

Johnny peeks his head inside, causing Taeyong to chuckle.

“You okay?” Johnny asks.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Taeyong gives him a weak smile.

“Tired?” Johnny sits on the edge of Taeyong’s bed.

“So tired. You?”

“Me too.”

They fall into a silence for a brief moment, just enjoying the relaxed ambiance after such a chaotic day.

“Hey, listen,” Johnny starts again, “I’m sorry for letting them walk all over you today.”

“Hm?” Taeyong quirks an eyebrow and then laughs. “You did nothing wrong, it’s my job, your highness.”

“I’m really getting sick of that honorific.”

Taeyong laughs again. “I guess it’s your fault for not bossing me around enough. I was so out of shape.”

“Still. You work for me. You shouldn’t have to listen to any of them if you don’t want to.”

“I know. But I wasn’t going to let myself offend anyone on their first day here.”

“You aren’t paid to please anyone but me.”

“Were you not pleased?” Taeyong asks.

“No.”

“Oh?”

“Not if I have to see you tire yourself out.” Johnny explains with a pained expression.

The butterflies return to the pits of Taeyong’s stomach.

“Okay. I’ll talk back to them, okay?”

“That’d be great actually — mom told me I’m not allowed to do that myself.”

Johnny and Taeyong laugh over that together.

“You should go get some rest, Johnny.”

“Mm. Should I go request for more staff to be sent here?”

“Beat you to it,” Taeyong mumbles, “did that right after dinner.”

“Alright then,” Johnny stands up, but not before ruffling Taeyong’s mop of hair.

“Good night, Johnny.” Taeyong whispers just loud enough for Johnny to hear.

“Good night, Yongie. See you in the morning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! i'm back with a new chapter! sorry this took longer than anticipated... but please let me know what you thought!
> 
> also my twitter account got suspended LMAO... you can find me on @ehov_o for now (linked below)
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/ehov_o) | [cc](https://curiouscat.me/wkh)

**Author's Note:**

> so... that was the first chapter! It was mostly just an introduction to the world but I hope you still enjoyed! 
> 
> For now, I've planned for this fic to have 6 chapters, but more may be added depending on how much I write for each one, or whether I have additional scenes I want to add.
> 
> If you enjoyed, please leave a kudo or comment or cc to let me know that u did, it will really motivate me to keep going <3
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/j127sung) | [cc](https://curiouscat.me/wkh)


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